A.G. Gancarski
The House Judiciary Committee is the latest panel to advance legislation that could be a boon to consolidated government Sheriffs who want control over their budgets.
HB 1447, sponsored by GOP Rep. Wyman Duggan of Jacksonville, allows a Sheriff, including one of a consolidated city/county government, to move funds “between the fund and functional categories” without the approval of the County Commission or Budget Commission after their budget is approved by the legislative body. This independence extends to procurement and personnel issues.
The legislation is backed by the Florida Sheriffs’ Association, and was uncontroversial Wednesday, with no debate ahead of a unanimous vote to advance it.
Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough is carrying the companion bill, which has stop in the Rules Committee ahead of it before it hits the Senate floor.
Both sponsors represent Jacksonville, which has a Democratic Mayor and a Republican Sheriff that don’t always align. In the consolidated government, the Sheriff’s budget has a particular provenance and has been a flashpoint in the past.
Locals will remember a move from 2020 by former City Councilman Garrett Dennis, now a senior staffer for Mayor Donna Deegan, to hold half of the Sheriff’s budget in abeyance “below the line.”
That gambit didn’t succeed. But given worries about the Deegan administration from the city’s GOP establishment, this bill could be considered to be of a piece with other legislation attempting to curb mayoral powers, such as the bill looking to penalize city governments for removing Confederate monuments.
4 comments
Margaret Keating
February 7, 2024 at 1:06 pm
This is a “NO-BRAINER”….our law enforcement officers put their life on the line for us everyday and then there are those horrific “Nights.”
Let’s not only support them….Let’s Thank Them by the biggest increase yet!!!!…they save us everyday….Please everyone VOTE for any and every increase. Thank Youi
MH/Duuuval
February 7, 2024 at 3:18 pm
This isn’t about a raise for the men and women in blue. It’s about who has control over the law enforcement budget — the sheriff or the taxpayers.
In realty, all this bill will do is codify and reinforce the status quo in Duval. Other areas in Florida will have to surrender their current checks and balances re: law enforcement.
In short, the only check on the police that taxpayers will have is when their elected officials sign off on a budget number. And, based on legislation passed recently by the MAGA legislature, any cuts from previous budgets can be challenged by a single citizen who complains to the governor.
So much for local control of local tax dollars.
MH/Duuuval
February 9, 2024 at 11:02 am
Interesting news about the High Sheriff of Duval emerging. Even as he is continues his aggressive bellyaching about the new Mayor of Jax, the media are bringing forth info about his dilatory response to policing his own officers. (This is the police chief law & order MAGA voters put into office.)
The FOP is actually running HR at JSO — the chief handles their PR. And, the new regulations Tallahassee is now formulating — with the assistance of the MAGA “brains trust” — will put additional burdens on teachers and public-sector unions but once again exclude police unions.
The tail wags the dog, eh?
MH/Duuuval
February 10, 2024 at 10:57 am
Today in history, in 1936 the German legislature formally gave over all police power to the Gestapo.
It can’t happen in Florida, right? No way the MAGA Legislature would give over all policing powers to the police?
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